By popular demand, we are republishing this article from November 2015.

On November 11 of 1918, the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, an armistice went into effect, a cessation of hostilities between the Allied Nations and Germany, ending the “war to end all wars.” The official end of World War I would not be declared for seven more months, at the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, but the end actually came on that November day, when the truce was signed, the opposing forces laid down their weapons, and the war known as the “Great War” was over.

Clean drinking water. Sinks and showers and toilets. These don’t seem like extravagances; they seem like basic necessities. But for so many people across the globe, they are luxuries that are completely out of reach. 663 Million people. That’s how many people in the world will live without clean water today. That’s almost twice the population of the USA and Canada combined. 2.4 billion people worldwide lack access to a toilet. 1 in 5 children under the age of 5 die each day from waterborne disease — one every 21 seconds, as a direct result of contaminated water and poor sanitation and hygiene. Those numbers are staggering; the lack of safe drinking water and sanitation is a global health crisis, one that must be confronted.

Recently we’ve looked at the issue of Clean Water, first delving into the fascinating history of and process of water treatment and purification in Part 1 and Part 2 of this series. Next we turned our attention to the world stage, where 1 in 9 people (some sources estimate that it’s closer to a third of the world’s population) do not have access to clean, safe drinking water. Close to a billion people worldwide. Last month we looked at an exciting new tool for bringing clean water to a part of the world where it is not readily available. Lima, Peru’s billboard that creates clean drinking water from humid air is an amazing innovation. And it’s not the only one. There are a number of exciting new inventions that can help people around the world have access to safe, healthy drinking water.

Would you believe there’s a book that delivers clean water? A straw? A bicycle? Read on . . .

We North Americans have unparalleled access to clean water. Clean water is such a given that we have the luxury of judging water based solely on its taste. We can simply assume that our tap water, across this entire continent, is clean and safe to drink. It’s astounding, really. The idea of not being able to find any clean water to drink is almost incomprehensible to us. This is not the case, however, in many other parts of the world. In fact, 795 million people —one in nine people across the globe— live without access to clean, drinkable water.

As we continue our look at Clean Water, having looked at the history of and process of water treatment and purification inPart 1 and Part 2, this month we will begin to look at some exciting innovations in providing clean water to people who need it.

Last month, we began our investigation of Clean Water, particularly the history of water treatment. We learned that, as a direct result of water treatment, “By the beginning of World War II, typhoid, cholera, and dysentery were, for all practical purposes, nonexistent in the United States and the rest of the developed world.” It’s not therefore surprising that the CDC calls the last century of water chlorination and treatment “one of the Ten Greatest Public Health Achievements of the 20th Century.”

As the incredible results of water treatment became more apparent, the U.S. Public Health Service set standards for water purity, standards that have been revised over the years, as new contaminants have been identified. Modern water systems carefully monitor water throughout the treatment process for traces of chemical pollutants and microbes; they have sophisticated computerized devices capable of detecting contaminants in the parts per trillion.

If you’re like me, the thought of clean water doesn’t seem astounding. Clean water is expected, not extraordinary. We simply turn on the tap, and pour a glass of fresh, clean, safe water. . . Anytime we want! But this is not a universal truth. Clean water is one of the earth’s most precious resources, but it is not available to everyone. In fact, an estimated one billion people on this planet (that’s 1 person out of every 8) do not have access to clean, safe water. Now THAT is truly astounding. And sobering.

For the next few months, we’re going to be looking at the issue of Clean Water. How do we get it? What about those one billion people who don’t have access to it? Please keep reading to find out more about this vital, indeed life-giving, resource . . .

Oh, how we love this blessed gift of Spring, this lavish display of beauty! Never necessary, but always appreciated.

Flowers are the earth’s extravagance.

They are a lagniappe, a little something extra, like a 13th doughnut when you have bought a dozen. We don’t NEED flowers, but maybe that makes them an even more glorious gift. Vibrant blooms of spring can transform the drab and dreary into the grand and gorgeous. Edwin Curran said that “flowers are the music of the ground,” and they are. The earth is singing for joy, and we can see its melodies. Some flowers are a powerful symphony, and others are a gentle lullaby, but every song is lovely and every blossom is a note to be savored.

Ahhh. . . April. How we love you. With your warm breezes and gentle showers. Honeysuckle and honeybees. Dogwoods and daffodils. And in the immortal words of Satchmo, “skies of blue and clouds of white.” In April, the canvas of our beautiful, wonderful world begins to be dotted with gorgeous splashes of color. And it’s truly a sight to behold.

Much of that beauty, those colors, that new growth is largely owing to those self-same April showers. The spring rain. That life-giving, earth-renewing, liquid-silver elixir that can help transform the barren ground into lush green fields. And don’t forget the flowers. Bring on those May flowers!

On March 20, the vernal equinox signals the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. This spring equinox marks the moment when the sun crosses the equator going from south to north.

What does that mean? For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, March heralds a beautiful change. The days are getting longer and the nights are getting shorter. Trees are budding, birds are singing, bees are buzzing, and gentle breezes are blowing. These are some of the delightful daily proclamations of spring’s arrival. Some changes are subtler. If you stop to look at the arc of the sun across the sky, you’ll notice that it’s shifting toward the north. And butterflies and birds are making their migrations toward the north as well, along with the path of the sun.

When temperatures drop, and snow and ice threaten, there is no better haven from the cold than a cozy, warm house. However, winter weather can take its toll on a home, causing expensive damages and high utility bills. Winterizing your home can help prevent unexpected surprises, such as busted pipes, and will help with energy costs. Hopefully you were well prepared for the winter, but if you’re feeling the chill, we have some helpful tips for “weathering” this weather well.

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